Diamonds, Jellyfish, & Nothingness (Luderitz, Namibia)

April 23^rd 2011 (February 2011) – Shall I beat that deceased horse? We drove from Keetmanshoop to Luderitz and saw a whole lot of nothing. Nothing was everywhere.  Nothing in the air. Nothing in the sand. Nothing on the horizon. There is a road and a yet-to-be-completed train track running through the nothing.  Don’t get me wrong. It is some of the most interesting nothing I have ever seen. In fact, as far as nothing goes it is really something.  We stopped along the way to absorb the nothing even pausing at a derelict building along the tracks to take photos of the nothing. Namibia: The Ultimate Nihilist Retreat.

I wonder if nihilists like wild horses. I think they might. Desert-dwelling equine aberrations. Nothingness connoisseurs. Imagine seeing horses, Namib Desert Horses in that environment. I have to imagine because we did not spot them. I think it is better that way. Knowing they exist is enough. Nobody knows where they came from exactly. I like that too.

Luderitz is a bit anomalous. Not only is it nestled in some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable it sports German art nouveau architecture. Yes, that is bizarre, especially when juxtaposed between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Coast. It will make you wonder where the f*** you are. We chose the Shark Island Campsite to settle for the evening although as it turns out the ‘island’ is really more of a peninsula since it was connected to the mainland. Setting up a tent can be a tricky endeavor seeing as the whole area is blasted by wind most of the time but in the end the effort pays off as the view and the vibe are excellent. However, I didn’t see any sharks. Such bullshit.